TripAdvisor Recognizes America's Best Family Destinations with 2011 Travelers' Choice Family Awards

Top Spots' Best Hotels for Families Also Named, Based on Opinions of Millions of Travelers

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Mar 08, 2011, 09:00 ET

NEWTON, Mass., March 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor®, the world's largest travel site*, today announced the winners of its inaugural 2011 Travelers' Choice® Family award-winning best family destinations and hotels. Top family-friendly spots were named in the U.S., Europe, Canada, Caribbean and Mexico.

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Winning destinations were identified based on the greatest number of recommendations from reviewers who traveled with family. Top family-friendly hotels were determined by the highest review ratings from those who traveled with family. Unlike any other honors, TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice winners are based on millions of real and unbiased reviews and opinions from travelers around the world.

The average nightly rate for the entire list of Travelers' Choice U.S. Family hotel award winners is approximately $215 per night. TripAdvisor has also identified outstanding attractions and vacation rentals in these top destinations. A family of four traveling for a week can save an average of nearly $600 staying at a vacation rental property compared to a hotel at these U.S. destinations, according to TripAdvisor's Vacation Rentals Calculator, found at: www.tripadvisor.com/VacationRentals.

According to a recent TripAdvisor survey, 83 percent of U.S. respondents plan to travel with family in 2011. Ninety percent of that segment is planning family trips domestically.

"For travelers planning their next family vacation, TripAdvisor has identified some of the very best family-friendly spots in the U.S. and around the world," said Barbara Messing, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor. "These outstanding destinations offer myriad opportunities for families, including first rate attractions, restaurants, hotels and vacation rentals."

Travelers' Choice Family Award-winning U.S. Amusement Park Destinations:
1. Anaheim, California
2. Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
3. Wildwood Crest, New Jersey
4. Orlando, Florida
5. Sandusky, Ohio
6. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
7. Hershey, Pennsylvania
8. Ocean City, Maryland
9. Carlsbad, California
10. Panama City, Florida

Travelers' Choice Family Award-winning Great U.S. Destinations to Discover:
1. Williamsburg, Virginia
2. Virginia Beach, Virginia
3. Lake George, New York
4. Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
5. Branson, Missouri
6. Gatlinburg, Tennessee
7. Corpus Christi, Texas
8. Port Aransas, Texas
9. Daytona Beach, Florida
10. Destin, Florida

For the complete 2011 Travelers' Choice Family lists, go to http://www.tripadvisor.com/TCFamily.

About TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor® is the world's largest travel site, enabling travelers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features (including Flights search, TripAdvisor Mobile and TripAdvisor Trip Friends) with seamless links to booking tools.

TripAdvisor® Media Group, operated by TripAdvisor LLC, attracts more than 50 million unique monthly visitors* across 18 popular travel brands**. TripAdvisor-branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 40 million unique monthly visitors***, 20 million members, and over 45 million reviews and opinions. The sites operate in 28 countries worldwide****, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also operates TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to TripAdvisor's millions of monthly visitors. The division includes Business Listings, which allows hoteliers to connect directly to millions of researching travelers, and Vacation Rentals, which helps property managers and individual home owners list their properties and showcase hotel alternatives.

TripAdvisor Media Group websites have been recognized as top travel resources in 2010 by Condé Nast Traveller, Good Housekeeping, TIME magazine and Travel + Leisure.

TripAdvisor and the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Group are operating companies of Expedia, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXPE).

TripAdvisor and the TripAdvisor logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of TripAdvisor LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Media Group Sites, Worldwide, August 2010

** In addition to TripAdvisor, The TripAdvisor Media Group of websites includes: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.onetime.com, www.seatguru.com, www.sniqueaway.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.travel-library.com, www.travelpod.com, www.virtualtourist.com and www.kuxun.cn.